


podium

by teddygirl105



Category: ONF (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Character Death, Execution, Gen, Guillotine, M/M, Mild Blood, Minor Violence, Pirates, dedicated to fae, dedicated to wjc, mention of Minkyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddygirl105/pseuds/teddygirl105
Summary: Changyoon was a captain. A strong, powerful figure who didn't hesitate to stand in harm's way for his crew.And now, he stands on this podium, head hung low as a coward who gave up on fighting back.
Relationships: Lee Changyoon | E-Tion/Lee Seungjun | J-Us
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14
Collections: wjc masterpieces





	podium

**Author's Note:**

> another wjc prompt night work this time with prompts from the amazing fae!!! they wrote the part from _"Another day blends into nothing."_ until _"He wonders when his final breath will be."_ with some minor edits such as tense changes and small details added from me (they were the primary culmination of this fic so <333 love u fae)

"Captain! To yer left!"

He quickly whirls around, cutlass in hand as he brings the blade down on the clavicle of his opponent. They howl in pain, clutching at the wound. A bolt embeds itself right into their forehead, and they fall to the deck dead.

"Thanks!" he yells back, guarding against another attack.

"Thank me when we're out of this alive, Capt'n!"

Gritting his teeth, Changyoon parries the longsword out of the guard's hand, snatching it out of the air with his other hand. He plants his boot on their chest, kicking them to the mast of the boat and forcing their back against it. With a strong thrust, he shoves their sword into their gut, digging into the wood and pinning them there.

The rain continues to beat down on them all, drenching their clothes and soaking into the wood. Their vessel continues to rock in the waves, pressed right against another, large ship manned by dozens of men. Their hulls continue to collide, each impact stronger than the last.

"Traitor to your right, Jun!" Changyoon yells, grabbing hold of a barrel and using the rocking momentum of their ship to chuck it at another guard, watching it smack right into their gut and send them flying overboard into the waters.

A few beats later, another guard is thrown off. Changyoon's back presses against someone else's, firm and steady. "Everything alright?" they breathe out, a rapier clutched tight in their hand.

"All good. You?"

"Cleared out. Some of the men are jumping on board now." They turn to look at him, a wide smile on his face despite the blood splattered on his face. "Why don't we join them, ey Captain?"

Changyoon smiles back. "You just read my mind, Seungjun."

The two of them split off, Seungjun launching himself from the railing and landing harshly onto the deck of the other boat, immediately joining the fray. Changyoon quickly rattles off orders to the remaining crewmates on their vessel, before leaping off as well.

Over on the enemies' side, they aren't faring too well. They're slowly becoming overpowered, more and more of his men falling dead or being thrown overboard. It makes his blood boil, and Changyoon charges into the battle without a thought.

He fights with all his might, trying to take down as many of the guards as he can. In the corner of his eye, he can see Seungjun facing off against one of the more lavishly dressed men, one of their captains, he presumes. Changyoon knows that Seungjun is strong, that he's well trained in his swordsmanship and that he's one of his best men. But the Royal Guards aren't anything to laugh at. Certainly not when they've managed to take out a solid third of his crew already.

He remembers seeing Minkyun be stabbed through the back, blood trickling out of the corners of his mouth and the tip of a longsword sticking out from his stomach, before being thrust off and left to drape against a crate. It only fuels his desire to kill even more.

In a brief moment of respite, Changyoon takes the time to peel off his coat, the heavy fabric thrown to the side and freeing up his movement. 

He hears a roar of frustration over the winds, and Changyoon whips his head back to the bow of the boat. Seungjun thrashes around, teeth bared as he's held in a tight grip by two guards. Blood trails down one side of his face. The captain now stands in front of him, sword held right under his chin.

"Seungjun!" Changyoon screams, abandoning everything to run towards him. The guards around him use that opportunity to take a swing, one of them managing to grasp at his wrist and wrench his arm back. They hold him in a vice grip, effectively restraining him.

The captain looks over at Changyoon. Smirks a little, before turning his attention back to Seungjun.

"Oh. So you're the captain's whore." he grins. "Makes it all the more worthwhile then."

"Don't touch him!" Changyoon snarls. By now, he's been forced on his knees as well, the point of a blade placed gently at the back of his neck as a warning. "You leave him alone. You take me instead."

"Hm? You? How selfless. I thought pirates were nothing but money grubbers."

"Don't listen to him." Seungjun hisses, eyes darting back to Changyoon.

"Shut your mouth." The captain chuckles, using his sword to move Seungjun's face this way and that. "You are quite pretty, I won't deny that. Maybe you could become my whore instead."

"Go fuck yourself." Seungjun spits at him.

He huffs. "What a mouth."

With one clean swipe, the blade slices at Seungjun's throat like butter. Crimson begins to mix in with the rainwater, and his body slumps over.

"Throw him overboard."

"Yes sir."

"No.  _ NO!" _ Changyoon struggles, writhing over and over again and ignoring the pricks of pain at the back of his neck. His strength has dwindled down from the brunt of their fighting, muscles sore and limbs unable to cooperate with his desires.

A figure steps up to him, and as the rage that had clouded his sight begins to fade away, he meets eyes with the captain of the guard. His sword is still stained with blood, though it begins to be washed away by the rain.

"Changyoon, captain of the Yssilia. You are under arrest by the Royal Guard of Thoril. You have been charged with manslaughter, theft, looting, and piracy. Your sentence is death. You will be executed in two weeks time."

The hilt of a dagger slams into his head, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Another day blends into nothing.

Everything seems the same, yet so unfamiliar. It drives him mad. Stuck yet again, transported to new places over and over again. It had been a while since he had last been moved. Changyoon wasn't allowed to see anything of the outside world. He knows what days are, but he doesn't know how many have passed.

“Today is your lucky day,” a voice suddenly barks out. “Get out.”

Changyoon hears the door of the carriage swing open, and a little light comes through the burlap sack tied over his head.

A rough hand manhandles him out of the vehicle, making him fall to his knees. He's unable to catch himself due to the rope binding his arms behind him, and his forehead smashes against the ground. The scruff of his shirt is grabbed, and Changyoon is hoisted onto his feet, forced to walk. His bare feet pad onto soft grass, before transitioning into rough tile that scrapes at his soles. The buzzing of a town square slowly filters in after what seems to be an endless walk. It feels lively, yet… eerie.

He's missed such sounds, such busy noises. They remind him of the shanties they used to sing and the mindless chatter of his crew, the cawing of seagulls and the bickering of deckhands. Changyoon wonders how the others are doing, if any of them made it out.

When the stone underneath his feet begins to merge to wood, he gets stopped. "Walk the steps," the same voice growls at him. Changyoon stumbles up, hitting his toes against each edge while hands drag him along.

The sack over his head is ripped off, the sunlight blinding him. It feels a bit like a final goodbye. The warm rays on his skin feel comforting, drowning out the curses thrown his way by the crowd below. He shifts his gaze towards the people. They look rather horrified, yet proud. As if they obtained a victory. But alas, he knows none of them.

Changyoon is yanked back to attention, pushed to his knees while someone babbles on, spouting nonsense about numerous crimes committed, all whilst flailing their arms theatrically.

He ignores it, not caring much for the empty lies in the speech. He uses the time to say some final wishes to the deities he never believed in, anything that could increase the chance of his crew being safe. 

The crowd cheers, taking him out of his prayers. With the brief amount of time he has left, Changyoon takes in his surroundings properly. He's kneeled in front of a wooden structure, designed to hold a blade. It's high and sturdy, the blade recently cleaned and sharpened. A small, crimson-painted basket decorates the front of it, and a curved wooden plank sits at the bottom, ready for his head to be displayed.

Somehow, the knowledge of his death doesn't scare Changyoon. He's accepted this long ago, ever since he started his ventures. That was what came with the job. He feels a sense of remorse to his crew, but reassures himself by observing the two possible outcomes.

If they made it out, then they'd be leading better lives than the one he gave them. 

If they didn't, they would be long dead by now, partying it up somewhere in hell.

There's nothing else to be done. No more prayers to be said, no words of forgiveness to be begged upon. Changyoon lowers his head, accepting his defeat like a coward.

It feels... appropriate.

His final minute is declared. The sack is tugged over his head once more, darkening his world.

Soon after, his neck meets wood. It makes him chuckle.

Here he is. A captain everyone had praised and looked up to, now pathetically displayed on the final podium.

He wonders when his final breath will be. If this final minute will be dragged out in an agonizing torment just to make fun of him.

Changyoon wonders if he'll be able to embrace Seungjun in the afterlife.

* * *

In the crowd, a hooded figure lets a tear trail down their cheek, hood pulled over their head and a scarf wrapped around their face. Carefully, they reach a hand up under the fabric to rub at the scar on their neck, still raw and healing.

They close their eyes, hearing the thunk of the guillotine meet its mark, hearing the crowd cheer all around them.

Without a word, they slip away from the town square, cloak fluttering behind them. They push through the citizens, unable to ask them to move aside. They've tried before. No coherent words come out of their mouth anymore.

As he stalks away, eyes filled with burning fury, a spark for revenge begins to burn within Seungjun's soul.

**Author's Note:**

> heehoo
> 
> [ twitter](https://twitter.com/teddygirl105)  
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/teddygirl05)


End file.
